PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
According to nationwide studies, child safety seats can reduce traffic crash fatalities in children under 5 years of age by 71 percent, and serious injuries by 69 percent. When used correctly, child safety seats offer the most protection of any occupant restraint system currently available. In spite of these findings, child safety seat nonuse or misuse continues to be a serious national problem.

National data indicate that approximately 50 percent of children under age 5 who die in motor vehicle crashes are unrestrained. Of those using safety restraints, 26 percent wore adult seat belts, which do not effectively protect young children. Even those children buckled into a child safety seat were often improperly restrained. Observational studies conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have determined that almost 80 percent of child safety seats are misused; either by improperly attaching the seat to the vehicle, or improperly buckling the child into the seat. Although a wide variety of organizations concerned with child passenger safety have devoted there efforts to increasing the proper use of child safety seats, the issue must be addressed at the local level, often one seat at a time.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In an effort to decrease deaths and injuries to Utah children under the age of 8, and increase the proper use of child safety seats statewide, the Utah SAFE KIDS Coalition joined with the Utah Highway Safety Office to develop the SAFE KIDS Seat-A-Thon in 2001. Objectives of the activity are to:

• Conduct child safety seat checkpoints along Utah's Wasatch Front and other key areas, during National SAFE KIDS Week, in May 2001
• Administer 1,000 child safety seat inspections according to National SAFE KIDS Coalition guidelines

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Utah Highway Safety Office designed the SAFE KIDS Seat-A-Thon to coincide with National SAFE KIDS Week, May 5th through the 12th, 2001. During this week, child safety seat checkpoints were conducted along the Wasatch Front, and other key areas between the cities of Logan and St. George. A local television station helped to sponsor program activities, and each evening announced the checkpoint location scheduled for the following day, on its evening news program. The station also featured news stories about the program, and conducted live interviews including local automobile dealerships. A public service announcement developed by Fox Channel 13 and "Roma Downey" was repeatedly presented during SAFE KIDS Week, airing from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

RESULTS
As a result of the SAFE KIDS Seat-A-Thon, more than 1,400 child safety seats were inspected by 300 volunteers, at 15 sites statewide. Donations to the Utah SAFE KIDS Coalition exceeded $55,000, which was matched by a local television station. These funds were used to purchase 900 child safety seats for distribution at checkpoint locations throughout Utah. Food, water and supplies were donated by local businesses. Staff also distributed more than 50,000 informational brochures during the week, with editions in English and Spanish.